SAN FRANCISCO — As Western Conference contenders move heaven and earth to sign superstars, and teams maneuver via trade and free agency to add talent, one franchise has remained stuck in place. The Warriors have yet to make a single free agent signing or trade for a veteran NBA player, their only move thus far being a pair of draft-day swaps.
In fact, the team’s only shakeup was losing longtime center Kevon Looney to the Pelicans.
Why have the Warriors been stuck in neutral?
Well, first, Golden State has still been linked to players as they wait for the Jonathan Kuminga situation (more on that later) to be resolved.
Former guard De’Anthony Melton has been floated as a possible target of general manager Mike Dunleavy, most recently by reporter Marc Stein, who called the Warriors a “strong contender” for Melton. The 27-year-old played six games with the Warriors last season before he was cut down with an ACL injury, and could be a cheap option for a team that has precious little cap space available. He would also fill the role of Gary Payton II, should the Warriors let him walk in free agency.
Al Horford, the ageless wonder of a shooting big who is entering his 19th season in the league, is also an unrestricted free agent and has been reported by Stein to be the top target of the team in desperate need of depth at center. Horford shot 36.3% from 3-point range with Boston last season and is still a heady defender at 39 years old.
Neither of those moves appears likely to be made until the Warriors figure out what will happen with Kuminga, the talented but inconsistent 22-year-old forward who has tantalized with his athleticism and scoring just as often as he has frustrated with his mental mistakes and skills beyond bucket-getting. Kuminga and the team failed to come to terms on a contract extension last summer, and his pending free agency loomed over the team last season.
Now, as a restricted free agent, Kuminga could receive an offer from another team, and if the Warriors match the number, then he would return to Golden State. The Warriors could also let him walk, or more likely, orchestrate a sign-and-trade with the interested team.
Kuminga has interest from the Heat, rival Kings and Wizards, The Athletic has reported, but no concrete movement has occurred yet. Kuminga is expected to meet with Dunleavy, coach Steve Kerr and the organization when the Warriors go to the Las Vegas Summer League later this week.
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A sign-and-trade would allow the other team to offload contracts, and for Golden State to possibly add veteran contributors to a roster that is led by Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
Those three make $139 million total this season, and Golden State, with or without Kuminga, will need to be creative to avoid the team-building penalties that come with spending more than the salary cap of 154 million and first apron of $195.9 million.
The Warriors do have a mid-level exception they can use to sign a player, although how large the contract can be depends on whether Golden State enters the luxury tax or not.
There is still plenty of time, and players available, for the Warriors to add talent to the team in search of a fifth title of the Curry era, but some of the larger names are being snapped up from the marketplace.